Download Reeves`s Muntjac

Reeves’s Muntjac
Fast Facts
What do they look like?
Reeves’s muntjac is a small deer reaching up to 20-40 pounds. They are about three
feet in length and are 16-18 inches tall at the shoulders. Their coat is reddish-brown
with darker points on the muzzle and legs. Their chin, chest, and belly are often
lighter than the rest of their body. They have relatively long snouts with black stripes
running from the muzzle to each antler (on males) or pedicle (small bony knobs on
females). Males’ antlers can grow to be up to four inches long and are shed each
breeding season. Both sexes have elongated canine teeth, though they are much
more pronounced in males.
How do they behave?
Family: Cervidae
Reeves’s muntjacs are mostly crepuscular, active during dawn and dusk, but some
individuals also display diurnal and nocturnal tendencies. In the wild, males keep
small, well-defended territories that overlap with surrounding female territories.
Males mark their territories with scent glands located in front of their eyes. Although
typically solitary animals, males are occasionally seen accompanying females and
females are often accompanied by their young. When alarmed or confronted, the
Reeves’s muntjac produces a deep, bark-like noise, which gives this species its
nickname of the “barking deer.” Vocal communication is very important in their
dense forest habitat where visibility is low.
Order: Artiodactyla
What’s on the menu?
Class: Mammalia
In the wild, muntjacs forage for herbs, flowers, grasses, leaves, fallen fruit, nuts, and
young shoots of trees. At the zoo, they are fed leaf-eater diet, fruit, vegetables,
alfalfa, and grass hay.
Common Name: Reeves’s
Muntjac, Barking Deer
Scientific Name: Muntiacus
reevesi
Range: Southeast China, Taiwan
How are they born?
Mating occurs year round in this species. Gestation lasts approximately seven months
and usually results in a single birth, although twins occasionally occur. Fawns are
spotted for camouflage, but the spots will gradually fade as they approach
adulthood. Fawns wean at two months of age and are sexually mature between six
to twelve months.
Do muntjacs have antlers or horns?
Habitat: Forests
Lifespan: Up to 10 years in the
wild; up to 18 years in captivity
Conservation Status: Stable
Although some people use the words “antler” and “horn” interchangeably, they’re
very different structures. Antlers are branched bony appendages found on members
of the deer family and are shed annually. When new antlers emerge, they are covered
in velvet. Velvet covers growing antlers which supplies the bone with blood, oxygen
and nutrients. Horns are found on various other hoofstock such as goats, sheep,
cows, and antelope. Horns are comprised of a living bony core and are covered in a
keratinized sheath.
What should you know about them?
Hunting and habitat destruction contributes to the decreasing muntjac population in
the wild. However, the Reeves’s muntjac population is still numerous and they are
not at immediate risk of endangerment.